Little Cawthorpe - Authorpe - Muckton Circular
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The walk leaves the pub car park and follows The Beck for a short distance before branching off down a country lane that soon degenerates into a green lane. It then cuts through Legbourne Wood Nature Reserve – there's a detour through the wood if you want to explore in more detail, on the line of the old LNER Grimsby - Boston railway. Another victim of Beeching, it used to provide a direct rail link into London. From the wood it follows the green lane on to Authorpe across Muckton Bottom. This fertile area was once coastal marsh but has long been drained and farmed. The dense hedges that line the green lane are a refuge for incoming migrant birds in the autumn. The verges are the home of a broad range of plants specific to chalky ground. Be prepared to meet muntjac and roe-deer and keep your eyes peeled and ears open for buzzard. Osprey and marsh harrier have been recorded moving through this area and large skeins of geese move overhead in the winter.
Arriving near Authorpe, you are greeted with what looks like an industrial complex. It is a grain store and its size reflects the productivity of farms in this area. Instead of entering the village of Authorpe the walk swings west toward The Wolds and skirts Muckton Wood, another nature reserve, before crossing a field to reach Muckton Village, the first encounter with traffic since leaving Little Cawthorpe. The church has long gone but the graveyard still exists. There is a pleasant seat at the back for those wanting a meal break or a rest. The lych-gate provides welcome shelter in less pleasant weather.
From Muckton there are two return routes. The walk is based on returning via the lane from Muckton to Cawthorpe but there is an alternative route (longer) detailed which avoids the walk along the lane. The lane climbs out of Muckton onto the shoulder of Fir Hill with spectacular views out over the coastal plain, then drops into Little Cawthorpe next to St Helen's Church and the pond. Here the springs that are the reason for Little Cawthorpe bubble up through the clear water of the pond and form the source of The Beck.
Finally comes a short stroll down the narrow, winding lane through the village to return to The Royal Oak.
The walk is dog-friendly with no stiles or fields containing stock at time of survey. Reserves request that all dogs are on leads as there are ground-nesting birds and small mammals.
England - East England - Lincolnshire - Lincolnshire Wolds
Features
Birds, Butterflies, Church, Flowers, Great Views, Nature Trail, Pub, Public Transport, Restaurant, Toilets, Wildlife, Woodland